The various State building codes specify the minimum allowable standards for bracing. For example, buildings under some codes must be able to withstand certain cyclonic winds; while under other codes buildings must be able to withstand cyclonic winds of higher intensity.
Any bracing for building walls must satisfy a number of criteria, including:
(1) ease of installation;
(2) low cost; and
(3) the ability to provide the bracing as set out in the relevant codes.
One example of the bracing for timber frame walls is disclosed in AU-B-47013/79 (534742) (TURNER) where an L-shaped metal strip has one flange received in aligned slots cut in the studs and a second flange secured, e.g., bolts, screws, nails, to the exposed faces of the studs.
In an alternative form of bracing, plywood panels are fixed, e.g., to two or three adjacent studs to brace the wall in the plane of the wall.
With respect to the first bracing method, carpenters find it annoying to have to cut the slots in the studs to install the L-shaped bracing; and the cuts reduce the structural strength of the studs. With respect to the second method, plywood panels can make it difficult to install internal or external cladding to the walls as the thickness of the plywood panels must be accommodated.